Global environmental conservation prize opens for entries

The University of St Andrews and independent exploration and production company ConocoPhillips announce the call for entries for the St Andrews Prize for the Environment 2018.

Applications are invited from individuals, multi-disciplinary teams or community groups for this annual prize, which is $100,000 USD for the winner and $25,000 USD for each of the other two finalists.

Anyone wishing to enter the 2018 Prize should complete the online entry form on the Prize website by Friday 29 September 2017. The shortlisted entries will be invited for a more substantial submission in January 2018. Three submissions will then be selected as finalists and they will be asked to attend a seminar at the University of St Andrews in April 2018. Following presentation of their projects in English to the Trustees and invited delegates at the seminar, the winner will be selected and announced.

The primary objective of the Prize is to find innovative solutions to environmental challenges across the world. The solutions should be practical, scalable and able to be replicated in other places, combining good science, economic reality and political acceptability. The Prize offers people from all backgrounds around the world the chance to help transform their environmental ideas into reality and provides a network of connections and support.

Lord Alec Broers, Chair of the St Andrews Prize for the Environment Trustees, says: “We are very excited to launch the 2018 St Andrews Prize for the Environment in this its 20th year of recognising outstanding contributions to environmental conservation. The Prize provides a real opportunity to showcase a diverse range of environmental projects, helping them reach their goals and achieve their full potential. I would encourage anyone with a project that meets our strict entry criteria to seize this chance and submit an application.”

A global programme to help smallholder farmers across the world maximise yields and reduce the amount of pesticides in use won the 2017 Prize. Led by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), Plantwise is a collaboration of over 200 partners worldwide working at a local, national and global level to increase food security and improve livelihoods whilst improving the environmental outcome for farming. By establishing networks of local plant clinics, where farmers can obtain agricultural advice from trained plant doctors, they can maximise their crop yields and farm incomes. Another objective is to reduce the amount of chemicals used by the farmers and the offshoot of the clinics is seeing a marked decrease in the amount of hazardous pesticides in use.

The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is a joint environmental initiative by the University of St Andrews in Scotland, which attracts scholars of international repute and carries out world-class teaching and research, and independent exploration and production company ConocoPhillips.

Recognising significant contributions to environmental conservation, since its launch in 1998 the Prize has attracted 5200 entries from around the world and donated $1.67 million to environmental initiatives on a wide range of diverse topics including biodiversity, sustainable development, urban re-generation, recycling, health, water and waste issues, renewable energy and community development. The submissions for the Prize are assessed by eminent Trustees from science, industry and government.

Full details about the Prize, the entry process and the eligibility criteria are available from the website or from the St Andrews Prize for the Environment office at the University of St Andrews on Tel + 44 (0)1334 461911.